Why does my keyboard lock up?

[Tracy D'arth]

Need advice.

 

Occasionally when I open my slumbering laptop the key board will not type anything. The flashing cursor is there and the mouse moves it,

I can open files but not type.  even ctrl-alt-del will not get the menu up.  Windows button doesn't work either. So the keyboard must not be talking to the processor.

The only way I can get it working is to do a reboot, then it is fine.

 

Ideas please?

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Ideas please?

 

Easiest and least costly - disable (turn off) the 'slumber' feature

[Rob-M]

Laptop keyboard or separate keyboard...?

 

Sounds like a driver is failing, open device manager by right clicking This PC in file explorer and selecting manage.  Under device manager look at keyboards and see if any have a red cross, you could try right clicking, go to properties, driver and update driver.

[David Mack]

Try plugging in an external USB keyboard. If that works fine then you know the built in keyboard is the problem.

I had a similar problem after spilling coffee on a laptop. Sorted a replacement keyboard (used I recall) from ebay and fitted it myself. A bit of a lengthy and tedious procedure but not difficult. Found a video on YouTube for the same model which took me through the whole process.

Edited May 4, 2023 by David Mack

[Tracy D'arth]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Easiest and least costly - disable (turn off) the 'slumber' feature

Is it slumber when you just close the lid?

Otherwise its a wait whilst it all boots up again everytime.

[Rob-M]

The default action for closing the lid is sleep.  So it sounds like the keyboard driver is failing to startup when coming out of sleep.

[MtB]

Dodgy physical cable connection, I'd say. 

 

Has anyone ever taken it to bits? If so, they may not have reconnected the keyboard ribbon cable quite right. Unlikely to have come from the factory like that though. 

 

Less likely would be a driver failing to load, as I'd expect it to already be loaded if the lappy is only sleeping.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob-M]

Check the power management settings as the keyboard may not be getting the wake up call.

[Tracy D'arth]

7 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Laptop keyboard or separate keyboard...?

 

Sounds like a driver is failing, open device manager by right clicking This PC in file explorer and selecting manage.  Under device manager look at keyboards and see if any have a red cross, you could try right clicking, go to properties, driver and update driver.

Says all working correctly, but then the keys are working now to get to the device manager.

 

I don't have a usb keyboard just the laptop.

 

Power settings look like they always have.

[Higgs]

I'm no computer geek, but the tools section in the properties of the drive could run a defragmentation and an error check of the drive. 

 

 

[Guest]

It could be as simple as the ribbon connector starting to fail. Or failing at the connection to the motherboard.

 

Depending on make the keyboards can be quite easy to prise out and replace. Ive done two on my Acer after two spillages. (Coffee and then a G&T).

 

Lots of vids. on You Tube.

[rusty69]

41 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

 

Ideas please?

Turn it upside down and shake the cornflakes out of it.

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Turn it upside down and shake the cornflakes out of it.

 

An even better approach would be to buy another laptop. I find this (almost) always works. 

 

 

(I have a drawerful of busted laptops, along with all the obsolete phones.)

[rusty69]

I wonder if your locking up keyboard is related to LadyG's low pound. Does your pound key lock up or down?

Edited May 4, 2023 by rusty69

[robtheplod]

Its probably the sleep option not working properly - very very common. Solution: dont just close the lid, click on start, shut down when finished.... should work fine......   the fact a reboot sorts shows its this.....

Edited May 4, 2023 by robtheplod

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I wonder if your locking up keyboard is related to LadyG's low pound. Does your pound key lock up or down?

 

I disagree about the low pound.

 

Its up at 126p to the Dollar at the moment and this is partly why diesel is getting so cheap. 

 

 

 

 

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I disagree about the low pound.

 

Its up at 126p to the Dollar at the moment and this is partly why diesel is getting so cheap. 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, diesel is really cheap. It's so cheap, i've started drinking it by the pint again.

Edited May 4, 2023 by rusty69

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Yeah, diesel is really cheap. It's so cheap, i've started drinking it by the pint again.

 

 

It's a LOT cheaper than beer....

 

 

[Hudds Lad]

Might be worth resetting the Power Management settings.

 

press the Windows key and R

type cmd to get a command prompt

in the prompt, type powercfg -restoredefaultschemes and press Enter

you can then close the command prompt and give the slumber/wake routine another go.

 

other thing to check is the keyboard is set to enable wake

 

press the Windows key and X

select Device Manager with the mouse

click the > next to Keyboards

right-click the mouse on the keyboard now showing and select Properties

select the Power Management tab in the new window

ensure Allow this device to wake the computer is checked

click OK

close Device Manager

you can repeat those steps to check Mice and other pointing devices in the same way too

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by Hudds Lad
spelling

[Jon57]

You haven't left any paddles open have you 🤣

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

I wonder if your locking up keyboard is related to LadyG's low pound. Does your pound key lock up or down?

 

We have had a lot of rain recently but the pound has been steadily improving since the low point in September.

 

 

 

 

[robtheplod]

On 04/05/2023 at 11:28, Tracy D'arth said:

Need advice.

 

Occasionally when I open my slumbering laptop the key board will not type anything. The flashing cursor is there and the mouse moves it,

I can open files but not type.  even ctrl-alt-del will not get the menu up.  Windows button doesn't work either. So the keyboard must not be talking to the processor.

The only way I can get it working is to do a reboot, then it is fine.

 

Ideas please?

did you get this sorted Tracy?

[Tracy D'arth]

6 hours ago, robtheplod said:

did you get this sorted Tracy?

No.  Reloaded drivers etc. but still occasionally does it. It cannot be the actual key board as it responds to none at all. Always solved by doing a restart or shut down.

[robtheplod]

35 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

No.  Reloaded drivers etc. but still occasionally does it. It cannot be the actual key board as it responds to none at all. Always solved by doing a restart or shut down.

when you finish for the day, do you go through a shutdown procedure (click on start, shut down etc), or do you just close the lid?

[Tracy D'arth]

I close the lid. But it always wakes up on the keys, its after I have been using it for a while that it locks up. Everything else works but cannot type.